Neptune

Work on a new-generation light cruiser started in February 1944. The designers used the Edinburgh-class and U.S. Cleveland-class cruisers as a basis. The first draft designs were completed in March; the result of their development was Project Y. The lead ship of this series was to be named Neptune; however, the construction of the Worcester-class cruisers in the U.S. showed that light cruisers with high gun-elevation angles were no longer seen as cutting-edge, so British designers resumed their search for new solutions.